PLAINVILLE — Town Administrator Brian Noble and the Plainville Department of Public Works report that the Town of Plainville is currently under a boil water advisory following the detection of E. coli in routine water sample collections.
The advisory was issued after routine Town water samples collected on Wednesday,
Sept. 21 tested positive for E. coli. The E. coli was detected in the raw part of the
water system and treatment facility that the Town of North Attleborough shares with the
Town of Plainville.
Immediately after identifying the positive samples, officials engaged the state
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and a boil water advisory is currently in effect. The cause of the contamination remains unknown at this time.
The towns will be collecting additional water samples today, Sept. 22.
The boil water advisory remains in effect Town-wide for all those who utilize public water, and will continue until further notice. All water used for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes or food preparation should be boiled for at least one minute prior to use, or bottled water should be used as an alternative.
Any ice, beverages, formula or uncooked foods that were prepared with water from the public water system on or before Sept. 21 should be discarded.
The same precautions to protect humans also apply to pets. Pets should be given
bottled water or boiled water that has cooled. Water from any appliance connected to
your water line, such as ice and water from a refrigerator, should not be used for pets
while under a boil water advisory. Fish or other aquatic pets should not be exposed to
water containing elevated bacteria levels, and appropriately boiled or bottled water
should be used instead.
To ensure residents have safe drinking water, the water kiosk in North Attleborough is able to be utilized as it uses reverse osmosis and is available to Plainville residents. The Town of Plainville is setting up a water bottle pickup location at the DPW Yard at 29 West Bacon St., which will be available from 3-7 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and each day until the boil water advisory is lifted.
Residents should refer to the Town’s website for information on what actions they should take for the boil water advisory.
Residents will be notified when the boil water advisory ends.
E. coli is a sub-group of the fecal coliform bacteria group. There are many strains of E.
coli, most of which are harmless, but some strains can cause illness. Symptoms of E.
coli sickness can include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms.
These symptoms may pose a greater health risk for infants, young children, the elderly,
and people with severely compromised immune systems. These symptoms, however,
are not just associated with water-borne illness; they may also come from other
diseases. If you are ill with these symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider..
Residents with additional questions can contact the Plainville Department of
Public Works at 508-699-2071.
Additional information regarding drinking water boil advisories and other public health orders can be found on the DEP’s website here.
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